Let's face it, Dirk has done everything a player can do in an NBA career. There is no milestone he hasn't surpassed, no honor or title he hasn't won, except maybe defensive player of the year and we all know the statue out in front of AAC is not going to be of him crouched in a defensive stance. While the competitor in him will always drive him to compete at the highest level, I believe Dirk is looking forward to his days as a support player. Imagine having him coming off the bench as a sixth man or hanging around the perimeter to take passes for easy jumpers. That'll be the next step in his evolution. And, by the way, he is one of those rare NBA players that seems destined to spend his whole career in one place. That would make him very unique, not that his game hasn't already done that.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 3:59:54 PM

Will Mark Cuban surprise us with some savvy moves that put together a decent team this year?

by JonBon6/24/2013 4:00:13 PM

Sure. Just ask him. Let's assume for a moment that Dwight Howard ends up somewhere else. What happens after that? The best scenario would be to land Monte Ellis at a palatible number, say, starting at $8 million.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:02:10 PM

Oops, sorry. Gotta remember those paragraph buttons make the answer post. As I was saying, start with Ellis, then take a risky flyer on Andrew Bynum for the league minimum. Anybody who offers him more than that should only do so for one season and even that's a reach. But see if the guy can contribute. You might get lucky if his knees are recovered. Then fill in the caps and wait until 2014 for the next swing at a top-flight free agent.

I like and respect Donnie Nelson but can his overall job in terms of personnel and personnel through youth is in question?

by Doug Smith6/24/2013 4:05:57 PM

Is Donnie the best GM in the NBA? No. Is he the worst? No. But he's one of a very small group who has been able to celebrate a championship in the last decade. And he knows how to deal with agents and how to handle the salary cap. Those are important elements of the job. Sam Presti in Oklahoma is one of the very best in that regard and it also helps when you have astute scouts and support personnel, which Nelson does in Keith Grant and the scouting team of Kevin Stacom and Co. You can pick at the past wounds of any talent evaluator. Nobody gets them all right. But Nelson's overseas connections helped reap Dirk Nowitzki way back when. You pick off one of those players every decade and you are way ahead of the curve. It certainly covers up for a lot of Pavel Podkolzines.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:09:57 PM

Eddie, here's your chance. Let's say Cuban said "You've got two minutes to lay out the plan and the players we should go after hard this offseason...GO!" What would you say?

by Alan6/24/2013 4:10:40 PM

Fire both barrels a Dwight Howard. Fly the private Cuban jet out there. Take him for a spin up to Vegas. By the $80,000 bottle of champagne. Tell him you are going to have Dirk and a terrific point gaurd to surround him with (even if you're fibbing about the point guard. Then when he says no, fly directly to Milwaukee or wherever Monte Ellis is and tell him that he really was your No. 1 choice all along but you just went to LA to inflate Howard's value for the Clippers or Rockets to have to load up a lot to trade for him. Then use those minimum contracts and the mini-mid-level wisely.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:12:34 PM

What realistic chance do you give Dallas of landing D12? And if they do land D12 who do they sign next?

by Michael6/24/2013 4:12:55 PM

I'd put it at 25-75 against. But every once in a while, the one-in-four chance comes in. If they pull it off, they aren't going to have any real dough to spend on anybody else. They'll have to figure out a point guard and they will go to Devin Harris, Will Bynum, Jarrett Jack an J.J. Redick and lay the mini-mid-level in front of them and say it's all theirs. They could do worse than bringing Harris back. But they won't have much cash to spend. So it may require a sign and trade. After they get a point (and yes, I know Redick is more of a shooter than a point, but he could be functional), they would have minimum contracts only, but you can find good players to fill those spots. Just have to be patient.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:17:15 PM

You've bravely come on the record with a prediction that the Mavs will get Howard. Your colleague, Tim Cowlinshaw, thinks that he won't be the solution for the Mavs even if they do get him. Do you think Howard can be the #1 guy on a championship team, or is he merely the best option on the market in a year the Mavs have money? If he's not the guy to take the Mavs to a championship, is he worth the money? Or would they be better off getting a center in the next tier and using the money on other players?

by Delonte West6/24/2013 4:17:45 PM

Well, we all know how much Cowlishaw knows about basketball, so take that with a grain of salt. Howard can get you 18 and 12 in his sleep. That's about what he averaged last season for the Lakers and it was by far his worst season in a while. So you take that kind of talent and find a way to build around it. Rick Carlisle does pretty well with guys who need ego massaging and Howard would no longer be in the glare of the LA limelight, but neither would he be the big fishin the small pond of Orlando. Like Goldilocks said, this bed might be just right.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:19:33 PM

All this talk about Dwight Howard, why not go hard after Al Jefferson instead and still have extra money to spend on a quality PG? Big Al puts up numbers AND is almost an 80% FT shooter. Your thoughts?

by Brandon6/24/2013 4:19:45 PM

Personally, I'm a big Big-AL fan, but I understand he has problems. He's not a defender, which poses problems for the Mavericks on the front line because Dirk isn't exactly a lock-down guy either. So that's the big problem. If you could put those two alongside Tyson Chandler, great. But that ship passed long ago. I'd like to see Jefferson join the Mavericks. And I'm a fan of Paul Millsap, too. It's still a mystery to me how the Jazz haven't been better than they have been with those two.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:21:31 PM

do somebody know about bynums health? i couldn`t read anything about his real healthstatus? is he able to play next season? what do you think about greg oden?

by plan B6/24/2013 4:21:48 PM

Both knees are in rehab mode. So it would take a huge leap of faith to give him anything more than a one-year deal. If you can get him to take that, the number might be negotiable. Maybe you go up to the mini-mid-level (2.9 million) if you know it comes off the books after next season. But even then, you're taking a risk that you get nothing in return for that investment. If he comes in and works out and looks OK, sure, take a shot. But don't got long on him.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:23:26 PM

pointguards who could lead mavs for the future via sign and trade? any ideas? free agents this year do not seem as perfect fits to me...?

by plan B6/24/2013 4:24:04 PM

Though he's not a true point, Monte Ellis is No. 1. I'm not the biggest Jose Calderon fan, but I suppose he's a possibility, too. After that, it gets thin quickly. Jarrett Jack would seem to be available because of the logjam in Golden State. But he worked his value up to the point where the Mavericks can't afford him unless they figure out a sign-and-trade. As mentioned earlier, Nick Calathes remains their property. He's probably going to come to the NBA at some point. Just a matter of when. And there are Euros who will merit a look. If you want a good name to keep in mind, remember Eric Maynor.His knee injury a couple years ago derailed his career, but he's a restricted free agent in Portland this year and clearly their point guard spot is spoken for. So he might be available.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:28:47 PM

Who are the big free agents in 2014 that would be part of Cuban's "two year Plan"?

Hello Eddie, nice to chat again. If Dallas cannot get D12 or CP3 (and I assume they will), is it a possibility they will start Collison again? Maybe next to two prime perimeter defenders like Iguodala on 2 and Marion on 3 or is he out as Starting Point? His stats are not so bad and he is still 25 so maybe he can learn to lead and defend?

by Flip6/24/2013 4:32:39 PM

Don't think Collison is headed back to AAC unless he visits in another uniform. It's too bad because he was a good guy who bit his tongue for the most part and didn't rock the boat when some players would have. He's a good player, too. But he's just not the kind of starting point that the Mavericks are looking for.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:33:37 PM

Hi Eddie. Long time fan here. Every offseason I am excited about which moves the Mavericks will make, and I am sure this will be among the biggest. Do you feel that any Mavs not named Dirk Nowitzki are safe? There are a bunch of quality free agents out there. How open is the bank of Mark Cuban really with the new luxury cap kicking in this season? I'd love to see the Mavericks pursue players such as Jose Calderon, Tyreke Evans, Josh Smith, Andrei Kirilenko, and Andrew Bynum among others. I feel like these players are a tad more realistic than ones like Dwight Howard and even more so Chris Paul after the Clippers hired Doc Rivers. Who are your top free agents you want the Mavericks to sign. Can we complete a sign and trade at some point for a hometown guy like Chris Bosh? Thanks for spending an hour with us today. I'll look forward to reading all of your responses.

by Needles Kane6/24/2013 4:34:36 PM

Wow, I need an aspirin. That question was longer than some of my stories. Of those guys you mentioned, I don't like any of them for various reasons. I guess I could see taking a chance on Bynum in the right situation or Calderon if you get him for the right price or even Evans. But Josh Smith has proven he's not a big-time winner. Actually, Kirilenko is the best of the bunch, for my bucks. And he's going to land somewhere and have another solid season, just like he did for Minnesota last season. As for Bosh, he showed his cards three years ago when he didn't want to come home to Dallas.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:36:49 PM

The mavs have absolutely no chance at lebron but we are about to hear about lebron to the mavs all year long huh?

by lola Dirk fan6/24/2013 4:37:10 PM

That's because everybody loves the off-season more than the season these days. It's all backwards, if you ask me.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:37:29 PM

But yes, prepare for LeBron-mania for the next 12 months.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:37:42 PM

Instead of going after Howard or Jefferson, why not try to surround Dirk with veterans who can help him end his career out of the lottery. Howard especially can't be in the end of important games with his free throw abilities. Why not go after Garnett via trade, Calderon, and the best guard available, then draft the best player available. Resign Brand, then trade for the craziest player in the league, Cousins, and hope that Dirk, Brand, and Garnett can keep his head on straight?

by Mavpocalypse6/24/2013 4:38:23 PM

So you'd end up in three years with Cousins and ... what? That team doesn't win a title now and has little hope for the future. And I'm not necessarily against a Cousins deal. He's a nut case. But he's not the first one of those to come along in the NBA. I'd be more inclined to take a flyer on a young point guard like Will Bynum or even spend a little more on J.J. Redick, who I have to admit is better than I thought he was.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:40:13 PM

What do the Mavs absolutely HAVE to do this year in order to be relevant and attractive in the free agent market net year?

by JonBon6/24/2013 4:40:37 PM

They have to get one quality piece going forward. Whether that's Howard or Ellis or a re-habbed Andrew Bynum. They need one player they can call an anchor moving forward. That will lure another one next summer. Just don't ask me which one.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:42:05 PM

I think mavs should trade 13th pick to Brooklyn Nets for Marshon Brooks and 22th pick and use it to select Giannis Adetokunbo or Shane Larkin or Dennis Schroeder. what you think Mr.Sefko

by Jason6/24/2013 4:42:14 PM

I like it. One of those guys would be there at 22, if not all three. And Brooks is an intriguing talent. The problem is you'd have to shed a little more cash if you want to make sure you have room forDwight Howard. And you could always stash te Greek guy (Giannis) or the German guy (Schroeder) overseas for a season if you need that cash.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:43:28 PM

Remember me? Anyhow I was wondering if not heavily pursuing Goran Dragic was a mistake. I think he'd be a fantastic PG with a solid cast around him and would fit perfectly with Dirk. Any chance he can still be acquired via trade especially with how bad Phoenix is?

by Frank Zachanelli6/24/2013 4:43:48 PM

Don't know if this is fake Frank or the real one, but either way, good question. Dragic still has a great future, but we've been saying that for a couple years now. He's good. But I think it's a bit premature to say he's going to be an all-star point guard, or even that he's a premier point guard on a championship contender. He'd certainly be better than anything the Mavericks ran out there last year, but that's not saying a lot. Acquiring him, sadly, would be an extreme long shot. The Suns like him and don't think they're quite ready to turn things over to Kendall Marshall.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:45:46 PM

what is mavs going to get with 13th pick?

by Jason6/24/2013 4:45:55 PM

Nobody. They will be picking for somebody else. Either that, or it will be a European who won't be on the roster next season.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:46:23 PM

Realistically speaking, what possible trades do you see the mavs making this offseason if any?

by Matt C.6/24/2013 4:46:47 PM

That's like predicting Dennis Rodman's next move. Who knows? But the trade to watch for is what they do with the 13th pick. It's going somewhere and they need to get a decent future pick for it. Even if it's lottery protected, getting a pick that might be in the middle of the first round in 2014 or '15 would be a good return. Remember, the MAvericks are going to lose one of their first rounders in the next five years. That pick was sent along in the Lamar Odom fiasco.

by Eddie Sefko6/24/2013 4:49:16 PM

OK folks. Good talk. We got a busy week ahead with the draft and, more importantly, free agency that starts a week from today. We'll be back with you soon after that to wrap it all up. Until then, keep the faith and try not to go through too much withdrawal with no more basketball until October. (apologies to the WNBA).